SAFETY TALK - Safety and Repair Equipment

[VersysRider]

[ARTICLE]Safety and Repair Equipment

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Ultimately, the safety of motorcycle riders and their passengers is their own responsibility. Nothing presented in the column supersedes, negates or relieves a motorcyclist and/or passenger from assumption of personal responsibility for their actions and safety.

A couple of months ago I was on a weekend morning ride with a club that I don’t usually hang out with. They had asked Becky and I along to evaluate their group riding techniques, so of course we said we’d be glad to accompany them on one of their regular outings.

Everything was going fine until about halfway through the ride, until after one particular curve I looked back (I was riding about mid-way in the group at that point) and didn’t see anyone behind me. I slowed down, the front of the group left me (more about that at another time), and eventually I turned around to go see what happened.

After back-tracking about a mile, I found the rest of the group. One of the bikes had a flat (his tires were practically bald to begin with…sigh), and despite there being at least 7-8 other bikes stopped with him, NO ONE had a tire repair kit or air compressor. Did I mention that we had a lot of long-distance riders in this group?

Fortunately I always carry my safety and repair gear in my bike. They were kind of sheepish about asking to borrow my tire stuff, but we all had a good laugh about it. We got the offending tire fixed and sent him along his way to the dealership, with an escort rider, to get the tire replaced.

Which bring us to today’s topic… What do you carry with you when you ride?

As a minimum, I always have the following:

Tire Repair Kit: There are lots of varieties out there. I tend to fall back on the old reliable gooey string stuff. It is not as fancy as the rubber plug guns, etc. but is does the job and stores very compactly.

Air Compressor: I have a standard 12 volt compact compressor that will plug directly into the accessory plug off the battery. I also carry the optional battery clips, in case I have to loan it out to someone who doesn’t have a matching accessory plug.

Neon Safety Vest: These pack up small and light. Vests are handy if you have to direct traffic, or just want to be visible on the side of the road without wearing a full hi-vis jacket.

First-Aid Kit: ‘Nuff said. Just make it a good one!

Cellphone: Very few of us leave home without it.

Mechanical Repair Kit: Modern bikes rarely ever fail, but I did experience a leak around my oil filter recently, and if I didn’t have a full kit with me, I probably couldn’t have fixed it on the side of the road.

Finally, I also carry a SPOT transmitter. Where we ride the cell phone coverage has gaps, and it would be just my luck to need immediate help and not be in cell range.

So, what do you carry with you? Or are you confident you’ll never have a problem?

Doug Westly – Safety Editor[/ARTICLE]

[Downs]

Usually. First Aid Kit, Tire Repair Kit, SPOT, Cell Phone, GLOCK, Honda Spray Cleaner and microfiber cloth, and the bike's OEM tool kit which isn't great but anything beyond what it can fix, and I'm calling for retrieval and fixing it in my shop lol.

The tool kit stays in it's stock place under the seat but everything else fits in the Tankbag just fine so I don't have to take my rear mounted luggage with me everywhere.

[CliffC]

Tire repair kit including compressor, levers, and shifter. Minimal tools.

[CliffC]

Tire repair kit including compressor, levers, and shifter. Minimal tools. Usually used by those who do not bring these items.

[Monica A]

My hubbie got me replacement levers for the front brake and clutch when we were at Chaparral's in LA in March. I guess he expects me to drop it sometime....As far as safety- I am riding my motocycle to work now by mysel a couple of days a week (if I can manage it) We have an agreement I won't ride it on days my hubbie has to work out of town just in case I need help for some reason. I am a rookie. Also, I think a good idea for safety would be to make sure someone knows your planned route as well as a time of return (just like hiking) in case something happens and you are stranded somewhere without cell coverage. He carries a first aid kit and some basic tools. I think a tire repair kit would be a good idea to add to our gear.

[stevegrab]

Tire repair kit (ever since I had my first flat and wasn't carrying one), air compressor, tools from the bike (possibly more on a longer trip), WD-40, rags, flashlight and something to clean up with).

Monica,
I can say that having a spare lever could be very important with even a simple tip over. As somebody who has a little experience with those kind of incidents I can tell you that they will bend/break easily. And trying to bend them back doesn't work well as the material is brittle and tends to snap. Even for an experienced rider it can be difficult to have to ride home any distance with a very short lever.

PS I have a first aid kit, bought years ago, never carried it much but plan to start now as I've got more space and ease of access with a top case.

[bcd]

Small first aid kit, personal tool kit (most bikes these days only have about 1 allen wrench, bah), plug kit and compressor, cell phone, flashlight, clear faceshield, faceshield cleaner. I wear a hi-vis jacket. I take a SPOT along on longer rides, especially if I'm alone.

[Brick]

I guess I'm such a creature of habit... I just use the SPOT all the time. Heck I suspect if I didn't get in the habit of using it all the time I would forget to use it when I needed it.

Small first aid kit, personal tool kit (most bikes these days only have about 1 allen wrench, bah), plug kit and compressor, cell phone, flashlight, clear faceshield, faceshield cleaner. I wear a hi-vis jacket. I take a SPOT along on longer rides, especially if I'm alone.

[MContevita]

I keep the default bike tools where they should be, under the seat. I also carry, under the seat, a portable 12v air compressor that plugs in the standard 12v accessory socket. I've got the spare accessory socket stored there too and it's modified with two wires ready to plug into the battery (I have two wires from the battery capped with female connectors). Also under the seat is a small bag of bungee cords and one cinch strap. In my saddle bags and top case are the rest of what I carry on a daily basis as well. There's the tire plug kit, tire pressure gauge for flats.

I also carry a couple of waterproof plastic cases that have bug spray, ear plugs, a knife, a flashlight, a tiny notebook with contact information (when the phone goes dead or missing). I also carry spare water when I ride. I once found myself stuck waiting for a drawbridge to close and after about 45 minutes in the sun I started to get dehydrated, so now I keep water on me at all times. I need to bring Cliff Bars on rides too; they sure do go a long way when you’re down and out and hungry.

I haven't added a first aid kit yet, but I'm looking for one that is compact and small enough to fit under my seat. I might just make one up instead. Nothing fancy, just the basics for myself and someone else too.

I wear glasses so I always keep a spare pair in a hard case. I'm blind without my glasses and even though the prescription, for the spare, is out dated it's better than not being able to see at all. I keep Chapstick on my person too, it helps. If I can remember, I'll get a tiny bottle of sun screen too.

I'll add more stuff if I'm going long distance but it depends on the weather predicted and where I'm headed before I gather what I need. One more thing I think we all should carry should be those little “break and shake” lights made of plastic; those can be handy if you're broke down on the side of the road. They can be used similarly as you would a road flare or as a way to mark your location in the dark.

[DirtFlier]

With my "road repair" stuff, I have a pair of cotton gloves with the red nubbies that provide grip.